By John T. Sullivan Jr., Commentary

Published 3:07 pm, Wednesday, June 25, 2014

On the eastern shores of Lake Ontario, at the entrance to Oswego Harbor, there stands a lighthouse whose bright beacon guides the weary seafarer into the safe haven of the harbor from the sometimes wild and powerful stormy waves that can upend even the sturdiest of boats. Within the shadow of that lighthouse stands Fort Ontario, a former military base, which in 1944 became a temporary safe haven for just under a thousand refugees from the madness of war-torn Europe.

We all know that more than 6 million Jews died in the Holocaust during World War II. What most of us don't know is that U.S. efforts to save those victims was minimal. In fact, only one government program in 1944 resulted in saving 982 mostly Jewish refugees from Nazi-controlled territory. They were brought by boat to New York City and then by rail to Fort Ontario to a makeshift refugee camp, where they stayed for nearly two years before finally being allowed legal entry by then-President Harry Truman.

When Fort Ontario became the one safe haven for Holocaust victims here, it marked a historic moment for New York and our nation. And the story of these refugees is a compelling — indeed, riveting — one, embodying the triumph of the human spirit over the adversity of evil.

The story is captured at the Safe Haven Museum in a Fort Ontario building that once housed the refugee center administrator. The museum, celebrating its 10th anniversary this summer, welcomed back survivors and their families last week. What they celebrated was the triumph of hope over fear.

What happened in Oswego those 70 years ago is well worth remembering and chronicling. There is a permanent exhibit at the State Museum, and there have been two made-for-television movies. A PBS documentary based on the book "Haven" by Ruth Gruber aired in 1989.

Still, the story of these 982 souls who were spared from annihilation needs to be told and retold. This year, when the refugees, motorcyclists and others gathered in Oswego, they remembered the one place in the United States that welcomed the Holocaust survivors, invited them in to local schools and gave them hope.

It is right to recall that, during the depths of the misery and tyranny that besieged Europe toward the end of World War II, there was one, shining beacon for the future for these fortunate survivors, and that beacon beamed brightly from the shores of Lake Ontario.